With more than 40 years experience of commercial aviation, Martyn Apperly has an unrivalled knowledge of the demands placed upon the modern commercial airline pilot. Following spells with BOAC, British Airways and finally EasyJet, Apperly joined Virtual Aviation in 2005, and has been sharing his experience on the simulator flightdeck ever since.
What sort of flying experience does your career cover?
When I finished school in 1966 I applied for the College of Air Training at Hamble, which at the time was jointly funded by the UK government, BEA and BOAC. My first post saw me joining BOAC's Vickers VC10 fleet in 1968, where I spent nearly seven years. Following a spell as a Boeing 747 co-pilot I got my first command in 1978, returning to the VC10 before progressing onto the BAC One-Eleven and Lockheed L-1011 TriStars. In 1989 I moved across to the 747-400 as captain, where I spent 12 years before having to retire at 55. Life on the ground didn't suit me very well, so I quickly returned to the air with EasyJet in 2002 flying Boeing 737-300s and 700s across its European network.
What does your role involve?
At Virtual Aviation we lease around 250h a month "dry" simulator time from a number of different companies at training centres across the UK - namely Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester. Our customers range from members of the public wanting a taste of what it feels like to fly a modern commercial airliner to pilots about to sit their airline simulation assessments. This latter part of our operation has expanded rapidly over the past two years and now constitutes the major part of our business.
What do assessments cover?
We operate a wide range of full- flight simulators, but the most popular types for simulator assessments are the Airbus A320, 737-300/400 Classic, Next Generation 737-700/800, and the 747-400. The actual simulator time will depend upon the individual's requirements, but in general it would include a half hour briefing and then 2h "flying time". Most of the airlines' requirements are very similar, but we continually adapt our training to reflect the latest assessment developments.
In general, the simulation would cover a take-off and either a departure or some local flying, including regular pauses in the flight to assess the candidate's awareness of particular issues. For potential direct-entry captains we would also include minor emergencies, such as go-arounds, and provide a technical interview.
What's the best thing about your job?
It's great to work with the commercial pilots of tomorrow and pass down a little of my experience. It provides all of the fun of flying a commercial aircraft without any of the pressures and it's very rewarding to help develop the potential of the candidates.
Virtual Aviation - Key facts and figures
- Virtual Aviation employs more than 40 instructors
- On average, 20 simulator assessments are conducted each week - resulting in a 90% success rate
- Virtual Aviation can often provide simulator timing with just a few hours' notice. Many candidates have very little notice of their airline assessment
- Demand for simulator assessment training has quadrupled in the past two years
Source: Flight International
